The call ended.
Mrs. Alvarez slowly lowered the phone.
Lily looked at her.
"Who was that?"
The older woman stood up and walked toward the kitchen.
"We need to leave. Right now."
"Why?"
"Because your grandmother was right about one thing."
She turned toward Lily.
"Some people will do anything to keep the truth buried."
At the police station, Daniel received a text message.
THE GIRL HAS THE ENVELOPE. FIND HER BEFORE MIDNIGHT.
He stared at the screen.
Then he looked through the interrogation room window at Evelyn.
For the first time, he seemed genuinely afraid.
Because he knew what was inside that envelope.
And he knew that if the contents became public, he wouldn't be the only officer losing his badge.
He might be the only one who survived.
At 10:47 p.m., a black sedan pulled into the underground parking garage of Westbridge Police Station.
A woman stepped out.
She was dressed in an expensive dark suit, her blonde hair neatly tied behind her head. She carried a leather briefcase and walked with the confidence of someone who had never been told no.
Her name was Victoria Hale.
She was the deputy commissioner of the Westbridge Police Department.
And she was the person who had ordered Evelyn Carter's arrest.
Daniel was waiting near the elevators.
"Where is she?" Victoria asked.
"Interrogation Room Three."
"Has she said anything?"
"Not much."
Victoria stopped walking.
"Not much?"
Daniel hesitated.
"She mentioned the old case."
Victoria's expression hardened.
"Which old case?"
"The one from 2004."
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then Victoria stepped closer.
"Listen carefully, Daniel. That case never happened. There are no records, no witnesses, and no surviving evidence. Do you understand?"
"Yes."
"Then stop acting as though there is something to investigate."
She continued toward the interrogation rooms.
When she entered, Evelyn looked up.
Their eyes met.
Neither woman smiled.
"Victoria," Evelyn said quietly.
"Hello, Evelyn."
"Twenty-two years. That's how long you've been waiting to do this."
Victoria placed her briefcase on the table.
"You've made a very serious mistake."
"No. I made a mistake twenty-two years ago. I stayed silent."
Victoria sat down.
"You're confused. You're old. You have a granddaughter who needs stability. I suggest you stop creating problems."
Evelyn leaned forward.
"Where is my daughter?"
Victoria's face remained still.
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Don't lie to me."
"You should be careful."
Evelyn's eyes filled with tears.
"Is she alive?"
For the first time, Victoria looked away.
It lasted only a second.
But Evelyn noticed.
"She's alive," Evelyn whispered.
Victoria stood.
"This conversation is over."
She walked out and closed the door.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Alvarez had taken Lily to a small house outside the city.
It belonged to her brother, who had moved away several years earlier.
The place was dusty, but it was safe enough for the night.
Lily sat at the kitchen table while Mrs. Alvarez examined the photograph.
"Tell me about my mother," Lily asked.
The older woman looked uncomfortable.
"Her name was Sarah."
"Was she nice?"
Mrs. Alvarez smiled sadly.
"She was the kindest young woman I ever knew. She loved music, flowers, and taking photographs."
"Did she love me?"
"More than anything."
"Then why did she leave?"
Mrs. Alvarez took Lily's hand.
"She didn't leave because she wanted to."
Lily stared at the table.
"Is she dead?"
Mrs. Alvarez was silent.
That silence told Lily more than any answer could have.
She opened the letter again.
At the bottom, beneath Evelyn's signature, was a handwritten telephone number.
Mrs. Alvarez recognized it immediately.
"Where did you find that?"
"In the envelope."
The older woman took the paper.
"This number belongs to someone named Michael."
"Who is Michael?"
"Your grandmother's lawyer."
She picked up her phone and dialed.
After several rings, a man answered.
"Hello?"
"Michael, it's Rosa Alvarez. I have Evelyn's granddaughter with me."
There was a long silence.
Then the man spoke in a frightened voice.
"Get away from that house."
"Why?"
"Because the police have been looking for that child all evening."
Mrs. Alvarez stood up.
"Can you help us?"
"I can. But you need to understand something first."
"What?"
"Your grandmother didn't steal police records."
He paused.
"She was trying to expose the people who murdered her daughter."
Lily dropped the photograph.
The room became completely silent.
"Your daughter?" she whispered.
Mrs. Alvarez looked at her.
Michael's voice continued through the phone.
"And if you want to know why they arrested Evelyn tonight, you need to find the original case file."
He lowered his voice.
"Because Sarah Carter wasn't the only person who disappeared in September 2004."
Across the city, Victoria Hale stood in her office, staring at an old photograph.
It showed her, Daniel, and Thomas Reed standing outside the courthouse in 2004.
She opened a locked drawer and removed a small pistol.
Then she called someone.
"There's a problem," she said.
The voice on the other end asked a question.
Victoria looked at the photograph again.